Order 66 (Profile)

Punk rockers talk food, cassettes and true D.I.Y. music

I guess you could say it’s a form of Molecular Gastronomy (the study of physical and chemical processes in cooking), but not really. It sounds interesting enough as it stands. I couldn’t find a better word or phrase to convey what I was witnessing.

My search, aided by Al Gore’s trusty inter-web, lasted about two and a half minutes. That’s longer than most Order 66 songs, but that’s OK. My feeble attempts at research are shadowed only by my limited amount of knowledge.

Alex Kuhling (drummer) wastes no time in his efforts. He quickly grabs a freshly washed glass from a nearby sink and mixes equal parts Blue PowerAde and Sierra Mist together. He drinks several healthy gulps before professing his regret that he didn’t use Sprite, the preferred PowerAde mixer.

Kyle Shibinski (bass) and Alex York (guitarist/vocals) sit diagonal to Kuhling on a couch. York munches freshly baked fish filets with potato breading (but not potato bread), while both he and Shibinski, the other two-thirds of the band, get me up to date with its history.

In the true spirit of Punk Rock, York and Kuhling used frequent trips to the inner dives of the Cincinnati Punk Rock scene as both inspiration and catalyst for action. Scraping together the bare-minimum of what’s needed, they dove fist first into the racket. They began playing shows as a two-piece under what’s become a common band name, Order 66, even though the band is far from usual.

“We started the band out of complete disdain for humanity,” York says. “There’s always an aspect of helplessness in all of our songs. Regardless of any positive lyrics, everything is truthfully pretty dark and I feel like we’re all doomed.”

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So you’re going to have to sift through the fodder and know how to expertly word your searches on the aforementioned inter-web to find this specific Order 66. But trust me: The two plus minutes are worth it.

Playing show after show as a two-piece anywhere they could for anything they could, they used the spirit and energy of the Punk Rock underground (with its many splintered genres) to make a name for themselves.

From a perch half outside a window and smoking a cigarette, Kuhling proclaims that he isn’t in a band for the girls. After a quick round of boisterous laughs from everyone in the room, he says, “It’s just fun. I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t fun.”

They did it for personal satisfaction, an urge to scream and be heard. And hopefully make some gas money to get them back home. Soon, they’d have a third member: Shibinski.

He quickly joined a band that he didn’t try out for but was asked to be a part of. He was a natural fit from the start.

A humble man, Shibinski is quick to say he likes his fast food industry coworkers but not his job per se. He lives for the shrill of the thrill and, when asked about the thing he finds most positive about his involvement with the band, he wastes no time answering.

“It’s an excuse for me to be around with (Kuhling and York) as often as possible,” he says. “I’ve seen a lot of things and done a lot of things I always wanted to do but never really thought I would.”

Playing break-neck Hardcore Punk with leanings of Grindcore — bringing to mind Necros, Poison Idea, Hellnation and older elements of DC hardcore — Order 66 are seen as victims: of your boundaries as well as my own.

As a band, they defy any of those boundaries and the views of the secular Punk Rock scene of Cincinnati and beyond. How to dress, how to be, what music to listen to. When to like something, when to hate something. What shows to see, which ones to ignore. Which venues to support and which to purposely miss the toilet with your piss stream.

They ignore all of it as a whole, and each makes a conscious decision to be who he is and do what he does and like what he likes and hate what he hates.

Even though Order 66 has spent the appropriate energy and resources to write their own guide to DIY releases, they’re widely known for their cassette catalog (yes, as in tapes; remember those things?). As they grow as a band and unit, Order 66 is beginning to garner attention from labels, blogs and, most importantly, fans.

With the prospect of releasing vinyl, touring and more on the horizon, the band has steadfastly declared that they’ll keep releasing cassettes in one form or another and play to any amount of people they can anywhere they can for anything they can. Or else!

Order 66’s enthusiasm is touching. So if you know what’s good for you, dust off the tape deck. They’re bringing the noise one side at a time.